VBF Australia

Welcome to the Australia Chapter of the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation,
VBF Australia!

Every year in the United States, 40,000 children are born with a vascular
birthmark, 85% of which are in the head and neck area. Statistics show
us that the incidence is the same in other countries. These birthmarks
include:

VBF Launches Day of Awareness - We need 25 families

Thank you for your support of VBF and the VBF International Day of Awareness.

Many of you have participated every year, since its inception on May 15, 2004.
Families and individuals have hosted annual bake sales; garage sales; sold stickers,
bears and bracelets; celebrated a birthday by hosting a party for VBF; were
featured in newspaper and magazine articles and local television news programs
– the list goes on…

There is really no proper way to thank each and every one of you for support,
and for raising awareness of vascular birthmarks and the associated syndromes
and conditions. VBF has one amazing support network.

As you know, the downturn in the US economy has had an impact on all aspects
of life, including charitable giving. Donations to VBF are down 40 percent,
while the free services VBF provides to patients and families have continued
to increase. For this reason, your continued support of Day of Awareness is
more vital than ever.

If you haven’t participated in VBF Day of Awareness, please join the
VBF family of tradition and giving by hosting an event in your community: http://www.birthmark.org/awareness

It’s never too early to plan your event! Visit the VBF Day of Awareness
website today to register your event, or for ideas on how you can help. Here
are some helpful links to get you started:

Remember, May 15 is Day of Awareness, but events can be held any time during
the year.

THANK YOU VBF FAMILIES AND FRIENDS!

Port Wine Stains: Clearance, Cure, and Recurrence
To Treat or Not to Treat

The following rebuttal by Dr. Stuart Nelson and Dr. Roy Geronemus was
published in the New England Journal of Medicine in response to an article
about the recurrence of Port Wine Stains (PWS) after pulsed dye laser
treatment. At this year’s conference in Irvine, several physicians
spoke about the pathology, progression and treatment of PWS. To summarize
what was presented, after a PWS is treated using the pulsed dye laser,
the vessels that are targeted by the laser will not necessarily come
back, but rather new, deeper vessels will work their way up to the top
of the skin thus making “some” stain appear. It is important
to understand this because many people believe that PWS will always
come back and, therefore, they should not have laser treatment. This
is not true. While the laser does not “cure” the PWS, it
offers the most hope for clearance, for keeping the skin from thickening
and cobbling and for maintaining the best aesthetic outcome for the
patient (comment by Linda Rozell-Shannon, President and Founder of the
Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, 11/8/07).

Comments from Dr. Stuart Nelson and Dr. Roy Geronemus:

"We reviewed “Redarkening of Port-Wine Stains 10 Years after
Pulsed-Dye-Laser Treatment” by Huikeshoven et al (NEJM 2007;356:1235-1240)
with great interest and would offer our comments.

Information for Parents

Don't Forget!
Every Day is a Day of Awareness for VBF!
Visit the VBF International Day of Awareness Website:birthmark.org/awareness

What if the VBF earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Now it
can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine, with a unique social
mission... every time you use GoodSearch, money is generated to support the
mission of VBF. Just go to www.goodsearch.com
and be sure to enter the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation as
the charity you want to support. The more people who use this site, the more
money we'll earn so please spread the word! Go
to http://www.goodsearch.com

Doctor Visit Survey Have you been seen by a doctor to assess
a vascular birthmark? Please click here
and complete our survey. This survey will be used to provide
feedback to the
doctors about the information and treatment they provide to families
affected
by a vascular birthmark. Complete your survey and mail to Corinne
Barinaga, c/o VBF Director of Information Services, PO Box 106, Latham,
NY 12110.

Mission Statement:
An international charitable organization that networks families
affected by a vascular birthmark, tumor, or syndrome to the appropriate
medical professionals for evaluation and/or treatment and provides
informational resources as well as sponsors physician education,
research, and programs that promote acceptance for living with a
birthmark.

DISCLAIMER
Information accessed through the VBF is presented in summary form
in order to impart general information relating to the diagnosis
and treatment of vascular birthmarks. Such information is not complete
and should not be used as a substitute for a consultation or visit
with your physician or other health care provider. Information accessed
through VBF website is not exhaustive and does not cover every aspect
of vascular birthmarks. VBF makes no warranty as to the information's
completeness, reliability or accuracy. Should you have any health
care related questions regarding this matter, please see your physician
or other health care provider promptly.

Information accessed through the VBF website is provided "AS
IS" and without warranty, express or implied. All implied warranties
of merchantability and fitness for a particular use or purpose are
hereby excluded. VBF shall not be liable under any theory or indemnity.
In no event shall VBF be liable for any damages, direct or indirect,
and all other damages, direct or indirect, special, incidental,
consequential or punitive, are hereby excluded even if VBF has been
advised of the possibility of such damages.